This chicken BLT is a take on a classic BLT that includes some extra protein from pan-seared or grilled chicken breast. With crispy bacon, perfectly cooked chicken, creamy mayo, vibrant lettuce leaves, and fresh, juicy marinated tomatoes, this is a balanced and delicious sandwich you're going to love.
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Why You'll Love This Chicken BLT Sandwiches Recipe
Growing up, my dad grew the most beautiful heirloom tomatoes (and still does to this day). I used to run out into the yard as a little girl and grab cherry tomatoes by the handful to eat.
As an adult, my favorite way to eat them is marinated.
These tomatoes are extremely delicious and I serve them in so many different ways - in salads, in bowls, on sandwiches, and honestly sometimes just as a snack.
The marinade is bright, earthy, tangy, and cuts the richness of the bacon and mayo perfectly in this recipe.
In my mind, a BLT with marinated tomatoes is the perfect sandwich. It's balanced. The bright marinated tomatoes balance the rich mayo and the fresh lettuce leaves balance the salty bacon.
This recipe takes the classic sandwich and amps it up a notch by making it a truly substantial and filling meal with the addition of pan-fried or grilled chicken. I think it'll quickly become your new favorite sandwich!
What You'll Need
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- Bacon I like to use about 3 strips of bacon per sandwich. Any brand will work well, so just get your favorite kind.
- Tomatoes Fresh, ripe summer tomatoes are best for this recipe. If you can find them, heirloom tomatoes are particularly beautiful and flavorful.
- Chicken Breast You'll want to use thinly sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. If you can only find thicker pieces of chicken, you can slice them in half lengthwise and pound them out to create even, thin pieces. Wrap the halves in sheets of plastic wrap and pound them thin with a rolling pin.
- Lettuce My favorite varieties to use are red leaf, green leaf, and iceberg. You'll want a lettuce that's sturdy enough to stand up to the rest of the ingredients and one that won't wilt immediately like spring mix.
- Bread I like an Italian loaf that I slice myself but anything sturdy and crusty will work! We have made this with sourdough, too, and it was wonderful.
- Mayonnaise Use your favorite brand of mayonnaise. If you're not a fan, you can also leave it off.
- Fresh Garlic Make sure to use fresh garlic for the tomato marinade. Garlic powder does not have the same bite to it. If you can't find whole heads of garlic, you can buy jarred chopped garlic that's stored in water. You should be able to find this at your local grocery store.
- Dried Oregano I prefer dried oregano here. You could make this with fresh oregano, but I find buying a whole container to use less than a teaspoon is not cost-effective. If you have it already on hand, go for it!
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil This is my favorite brand. A good quality olive oil will add a great flavor to the marinade. Sometimes I also combine the olive oil with a bit of the bacon fat for a super decadent flavor.
- Red Wine Vinegar Red wine vinegar is my favorite here, but you could also try white wine vinegar.
- Kosher Salt Diamond Crystal kosher salt is far and away my favorite for the way it spreads evenly. If using table salt or sea salt, be sure to use less than stated in the recipe.
- Black Pepper Optional. This will add just a bit of a kick to the marinade for the tomatoes.
How to Make Chicken BLTs
Step One: Marinate the tomatoes. Chop the garlic, measure the dried oregano, oil, and vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Place all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk until emulsified.
Step Two: Slice the tomatoes and place them either in a plastic or silicone bag with a strong seal or in a flat, wide dish. Pour the marinade over top. Transfer the tomatoes to the fridge and let marinate for 2 hours to overnight.
Step Three: Fry the bacon. Place 3 to 4 slices bacon in a frying pan and cook for about 2 minutes per side, or until crisp. Remove from the pan and place on a dish lined with paper towels. If you want, you can also cook the bacon in the air fryer using these instructions.
Step Four: Sear the chicken. Pat the chicken dry on both sides and season liberally with salt and pepper. Place a frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add a small amount of neutral oil, like grapeseed oil or avocado oil. You can also use cooking spray. Cook the chicken until it is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step Five: While the chicken is cooking, toast the bread.
Step Six: Assemble the sandwiches. Place one of the bread slices on a plate or cutting board, add the bacon in a single layer, then add the lettuce. Add the add 3 to 4 slices tomato on top of the lettuce. Spread mayo on the top slice of bread, put it on top, then serve!
Variations
Salad: For a lighter take, try dicing and toasting half of the bread in a pan as croutons for a BLT chicken salad. This is great with a little goat cheese to mimic the creaminess of the mayo. Use the marinade as a dressing, chop the chicken and bacon, dice the tomatoes, toss, and enjoy!
Added Veggies: Feel free to add some more veggies to this sandwich. I like thinly sliced red onion, cucumber, avocado, or some sprouts.
Cheese: Try adding a slice of cheese to the freshly toasted bread so it gets a little melty. A sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan cheese is nice too.
Rotisserie Chicken: You can use a rotisserie chicken if you have it on hand. Just replace the pan-seared chicken breast with shredded chicken. You'll want to use about one cup chicken.
Grilled Chicken BLT: Review the options below for grilling the chicken for your BLT.
For gas grill: Preheat the grill to high heat. Cook the chicken breasts for 2 to 3 minutes per side, covered, or until the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
For charcoal grill: Heat the grill to medium heat. Place the chicken on the hot side of the grate and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
For grill pan: Heat the grill pan over high heat. Cook the chicken breasts for 2 to 4 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees F.
Recommended Equipment
How to Store This BLT with Chicken
This chicken BLT is best when cooked and eaten right away. However, you can store the individual components if needed.
Fridge: Store the components of this dish in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days and reheat when serving.
Freezer: I don't recommend freezing this dish.
Reheating: I recommend taking the tomatoes out of the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before assembling the sandwich so the olive oil has a chance to come to room temperature and does not remain solid. Removing the tomatoes from the marinade and place on a cutting board or plate will help them come to room temperature faster.
If you'd like to drizzle some marinade on the sandwich (I recommend it!), remove the tomatoes and heat the marinade in the microwave or on the stove until warm. Stir a bit to recombine and then drizzle on the interior of the assembled sandwich.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Absolutely! Just skip the marinating step in the directions.
You sure can. Instead of toasting the bread, wrap all of your ingredients in your favorite tortilla for a chicken BLT wrap.
There are many measures used to determine whether a given food is healthy for someone. All of the nutritional information for this recipe can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Serve
This sandwich works as a standalone meal for lunch or dinner, but if you would like to serve it with something, I recommend some kettle potato chips, or a healthier crunchy side like raw vegetables or kale chips.
You can also serve it with:
Soup: Try serving this with a cup of your favorite soup, like this Greek chickpea soup or this chicken pastina soup.
Salad: This sandwich is delicious with a side salad or this Prasini salad with lemon herb dressing.
You can also turn the sandwich into a chicken BLT salad! Chop up the lettuce, chicken, and tomatoes and serve them with a bit of crumbled cheese. Crumble the bacon over top, then use the toasted bread as homemade croutons!
Potato Salad: I love this German potato salad with a warm bacon vinaigrette and fresh herbs. This potato salad and a BLT would make for a perfect picnic.
Pickles: Pickles are my love language. Try serving this dish with pickled carrots, pickled celery, or these mixed pickles!
Expert Tips
- Upgrade your mayo. If you normally like one of the tangier brands of mayonnaise but can't find it locally, add just a drop of apple cider vinegar to the mayo, mix it well, and then give it a taste. I tried this trick recently and love the result!
- Don't use nonstick. A nonstick skillet should never be used at a temperature higher than medium heat. If you use it on high heat, the nonstick coating will degrade more quickly and you'll need to replace your pan often. I recommend you always use either a stainless steel, cast iron, or carbon steel pan for high-heat cooking. If you only have nonstick, cook your chicken on a lower heat for a longer time and check periodically for doneness.
- Wrap your sandwiches. I recommend wrapping the whole sandwich in parchment paper and then slicing it in half gently with a serrated knife to contain some of the marinade. You can also cut the sandwich in half and wrap each half in a paper towel.
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More Chicken Recipes You’ll Enjoy
📖 Recipe
Chicken BLT
Equipment
- Microplane (optional)
Ingredients
Marinated Tomatoes
- 4 slices tomato
- 1 clove garlic grated on microplane or minced
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons +1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- ⅛ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 pinch kosher salt generous
Sandwich
- 3 strips bacon
- 2 slices bread sturdy
- 2-3 leaves lettuce red leaf, green leaf or iceberg
- 1 breast chicken thin sliced (approximately 1 inch)
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil like avocado oil or grapeseed oil
- 1-2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Instructions
- First, measure out all ingredients and have them ready.
- If you don't wish to marinate your tomatoes, skip steps 2 & 3. Combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt. and oregano in a medium bowl to create the marinade. Whisk to combine.
- Add sliced tomato to the marinade, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Make sure to take the tomatoes out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before making the sandwich so the oil can reincorporate with the rest of the marinade.
- Place bacon in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Cook until the bacon is crisp or to your liking - about 2 minutes per side. Place the cooked bacon on paper towels to soak up additional grease. Do not drain the bacon grease from the pan.
- If your chicken is thicker than approximately 1 inch, slice the chicken on the bias to create 1 inch medallions. Season both sides with salt and pepper to taste.
- Increase the heat on the frying pan to medium-high. If there is not adequate bacon grease to cook the chicken in, add a small amount of neutral oil, such as grapeseed or avocado oil.
- Once hot, add the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the chicken rest on a cutting board while you assemble the sandwich.
- Toast the bread either in a toaster or in the pan used to cook the chicken and bacon.
- Assemble the sandwich. Spread mayonnaise on one side each of the toasted bread. Then add the chicken, bacon, lettuce and tomato. Drizzle some of the marinade on the interior of the bread to amplify the flavor.
Notes
- If you wish to grill the chicken, see the body of the post for instructions. This is found under the "Variations" section.
- This quantity of vinaigrette can be used for two or more sandwiches depending on the size of your tomato and the thickness of your slices. I usually make two sandwiches out of one medium tomato.
- I like to use a thick/sturdy bread for this sandwich, such as a crusty Italian loaf that I slice myself
- If you prefer a traditional BLT, no need to marinate the tomatoes. I love the brightness the marinade adds to the overall dish
- This sandwich can be messy. I wrap the whole sandwich in parchment paper and slice it in half to contain some of the mess. You can also wrap each half in a paper towel.
- For a lighter take, try dicing half the toasted bread as croutons for a BLT-style salad. Use the marinade as a dressing, slice the chicken, chop the bacon, dice the tomatoes, toss and enjoy!
- Fridge: You can store the individual components of this dish in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days and reheat when serving.
- Freezer: I don't recommend freezing this dish.
- Reheating: I recommend taking the tomatoes out of the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before assembling the sandwich so the olive oil has a chance to come to room temperature and does not remain solid.
MICHAEL P HENRY says
I made this, and it was so fresh and delicious! I love this combination of flavors; it's a great recipe!
Genevieve says
Thank you so much, Michael! I love the photos on this one especially 😀